Football Index affirms commitment to integrity with IBIA membership
Online platform for trading shares in footballers signs up with betting integrity body as affiliate member
Football Index has joined the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) as an affiliate member. IBIA affiliate membership allows gambling organisations with alternative business models to be part of the IBIA and to participate in some of its betting integrity activities. Football Index is an online stock market where customers can trade shares in real-life footballers for real money. The Jersey-headquartered firm is the fourth business to join the IBIA as an affiliate member, joining sportsbook supplier Kambi, data provider Stats Perform and data analysis firm H2 Gambling Capital. “Maintaining the integrity of our business has always been, and remains, paramount to Football Index,” said Neil Kelly, CEO of Football Index parent company BetIndex. “Our customers have come to expect a high level of product security which we are determined to continue delivering. As such, we are thrilled to join the IBIA. “The association’s wide recognition as the preeminent global sports betting integrity body makes it the ideal partner for Football Index, as we strive to further place the integrity of our product at the heart of our business operations,” Kelly added. Football Index has enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last five years, with the firm finishing second in the Sunday Times Sage Tech Track 100 rankings in September. The IBIA counts 85 sportsbook operators among its core membership including GVC, bet365, 888, Flutter, William Hill, Betsson and Kindred Group. All member firms feed data into the centralised monitoring and alert platform, which identifies suspicious betting patterns, allowing the IBIA to report them to regulatory and law enforcement bodies and sports governing bodies. Khalid Ali, IBIA CEO, said: “I am delighted to welcome Football Index to IBIA. “The company’s operation may differ from traditional sportsbooks, but it is no less committed to maintaining the integrity of its product and the sporting events on which it is based,” he added.